Americans see air quality improvements as toxic smoke clears
- D.C. area remains in "Code Orange;" conditions still unhealthy for some
- Biden: U.S. continues to help the effort to stop the wildfires in Canada
- Scientists: Smoke is a wake-up call about the future
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Like many cities on the East Coast, Washington, D.C. has seen air quality improvements since smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires blanketed the region earlier this week.
However, AirNow still shows the D.C. area remains in a “Code Orange,” meaning conditions can still be unhealthy for some Americans.
The smoke from the wildfires led to incredible scenes across the Northeast.
The fires sent plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina and northern Europe and parked clumps of air rated unhealthy or worse over the heavily populated Eastern Seaboard.
A third day of unhealthy air may have been an unnerving novelty for millions of people on the. East Coast, but it was a reminder of conditions routinely troubling the country’s West — and a wake-up call about the future, scientists say.
On Thursday, visibility was limited and the Washington Monument could barely be seen from a distance. Major League Baseball postponed games, including canceling the Washington Nationals game due to the air quality. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo also closed its doors.
Schools canceled outdoor activities — including recess and team sporting events, parks were closed and road work was suspended in some areas.
The White House even pushed back its Pride Month celebration to this weekend.
President Joe Biden told reporters the U.S. continues to help the effort to stop the wildfires in Canada and recommended that people in the states stay alert about the conditions.
“We already have 600 American firefighters on the ground who have been there for a while in Canada including hotshots and smoke jumper crews,” Biden said. “It’s very important that affected communities listen to the guidance of their state and local officials at this point forward.”
At points this week, air quality in places including New York, the nation’s most populous city, nearly hit the top of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air pollution scale. Local officials urged people to stay indoors as much as possible and wear face masks when they venture out.
NewsNation correspondent Tom Dempsey said that while walking to the Capitol on Thursday, his eyes stung from the unhealthy air quality and that he wore a mask as a precaution.
Officials said they expected conditions to improve heading into the weekend.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The sun rises over the lower Manhattan skyline as seen from Jersey City, N.J., Thursday, June 8, 2023. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) 
Haze blankets the United States Marine Corps War Memorial as the sun rises, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Arlington, Va. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is pouring into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest and covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 
Haze blankets the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023, as seen from Arlington, Va. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is pouring into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest and covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 
The sun rises behind the Washington Monument and a thick layer of smoke, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) 
Joggers trot along the Reflecting Pool with the sun rising over the Washington Memorial and a thick layer of smoke, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) 
Members of the Marine Corps honor color guard rehearse near the Reflecting Pool with the sun rising over a thick layer of smoke, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) 
The sun is obscured by haze caused by northern wildfires as horses are bathed ahead of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Thursday, June 8, 2023, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Training was cancelled for the day due to poor air quality. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) 
Smoke from Canadian wildfires obscures the view of the U.S. Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) 
With the Washington Monument in the background and a thick layer of smoke, Marine Corps honor color guard rehearse, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) 
With the Washington Monument in the background and a thick layer of smoke, Marine Corps honor color guard rehearse, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) 
A person in a protective face mask walks past the skyline in Philadelphia shrouded in haze, Thursday, June 8, 2023. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) 
The Brooklyn Bridge, One World Trade Center and the lower Manhattan skyline are visible in New York on Thursday, June 8, 2023. With weather systems expected to hardly budge, the smoky blanket billowing across the U.S. and Canada from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia should persist into Thursday and possibly the weekend. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) 
MTA employee Shanita Hancle, left, hands out masks to commuters at the entrance to a subway station in New York, Thursday, June 8, 2023. Air pollution from Canadian wildfires are cloaking the northeastern U.S. for a second day. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) 
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at 11:23 a.m. EDT and provided by CSU/CIRA & NOAA shows smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting across parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (CSU/CIRA & NOAA via AP)
